Such a valve rocker lever is disclosed by the generic DE 103 10 226 A1. Viewed in the longitudinal direction of the valve rocker lever, its axis is arranged with the two lever parts at the one end behind the seating face for the exhaust and refill valve. Also noticeable is the fact that a swivel-leg spring is provided as lost-motion spring, which encloses the axis.
Several disadvantages are inherent in the aforementioned configuration. For one thing the axis relatively remote from the pivot point of the valve rocker lever increases the mass moment of inertia unnecessarily with relatively large moving masses on the valve side. Furthermore, the overall width of the aforementioned valve rocker lever is increased unnecessarily about the axis owing to the width required for the swivel-leg spring. As a result fitting problems can arise and it may be impossible to use the lever in engines of particularly compact dimensions. The axis relatively remote from the pivot point means that the outer lever also has an unfavorable deflection length.